Skip to main content

Basic Configuration

1. Creating a library

Before you can start adding media to your server, you have to create a library. You can choose between different content types. Select the one appropriate for the content you want to add. I will start by creating a library for my movies, so I choose movies from the drop-down and continue. Most of the library settings are self-explanatory. Some options, however, are worth mentioning, so here is a small overview:

OptionRecommendation
`Enable chapter image extraction`Only enable this option, if you have a rather powerful CPU and on top of that, lots of free storage space. If you do have, this will give you preview images, when skipping through a video.
`Extract chapter images during the library scan`You can safely disable this option, because using plugins like Fanart will provide much better images, for all the different display sizes (Banner, Poster, etc.)
2. Adding media

To add media, e.g. a movie, make sure, that you have the necessary storage capacity on the path, you specified in your library settings. After that, I would recommend creating a new folder for every movie, which you can organize in subfolders, if needed (e.g., for a movie series). Here is a small tree view of how I organize my movies:

|-- Movie_001
|   |-- 1.\ first\ in\ the\ series
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part1 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000000].eng.srt
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part1 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000000].ger.srt
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part1 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000000].mkv
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part1 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000000].nfo
|   |   |-- backdrop.jpg
|   |   |-- banner.jpg
|   |   |-- clearart.png
|   |   |-- disc.png
|   |   |-- folder.jpg
|   |   |-- landscape.jpg
|   |   `-- logo.png
|   |-- 2.\ second\ in\ the\ series
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part2 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000001].eng.srt
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part2 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000001].ger.srt
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part2 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000001].mkv
|   |   |-- Some_Movie_Part2 - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000001].nfo
|   |   |-- backdrop.jpg
|   |   |-- banner.jpg
|   |   |-- clearart.png
|   |   |-- disc.png
|   |   |-- folder.jpg
|   |   |-- landscape.jpg
|   |   `-- logo.png
|-- Movie_002
|   |-- Some_Other_Movie - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000002].ger.srt
|   |-- Some_Other_Movie - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000002].mkv
|   |-- Some_Other_Movie - 1080p - [imdbid-tt0000002].nfo
|   |-- backdrop.jpg
|   |-- disc.png
|   |-- folder.jpg
|   `-- logo.png

As you can see, you can specify many options in the filename, to make Jellyfin aware of certain properties. Here are a few:

OptionWhat it does
`[tmdbid=xyz]` / `[imdbid=xyz]`Specify which IMDB/TMDBID the movie has, so the according metadata gets fetched automatically.
`.sample` `.trailer` `.theme` .`interview` `.featurette`Let Jellyfin know, that the file is a sample/trailer/theme/interview/featurette file.
`[1080p] [720p]` `[480p]`Usually unnecessary, but in case, it's missing in the files metadata, let Jellyfin know, what resolution the video has.

FYI, instead of giving your videos file extensions like .trailer you can also place the files in subfolders, to keep it more structured. Supported names for subfolders are: 

  • behind the scenes
  • deleted scenes
  • interviews
  • scenes
  • samples
  • shorts
  • featurettes
  • extras - Generic catch-all for extras of an unknown type.
  • trailers

You can also find information on the above mentioned topics in the Jellyfin documentation: https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/server/media/movies.html

Back to top